Studios for Scholars update
Student designs show how they would like updated studios to look
The SOA continues to pursue a project to dramatically improve the working conditions for our students inside the design studios. As we continue to raise funds and develop plans for this project, the School recently held an all school design charette to generate ideas for the project.
A student explains his team's design concept for the studios.
With the goal of having a deeper understanding of what students want to see in the studios in the future as we plan for upcoming studio renovations, an all-school charette was completed to give all architecture students an opportunity to provide valuable feedback by actually coming up with design proposals for the studios. Thirty-five student teams were organized to work together over one weekend (years of study were mixed) to produce design ideas.
Faculty voted to select the top seven proposals. Students representing those seven teams then presented their work to the Dean's Advisory Board for discussion and constructive criticism. In general, students are in favor of more visibility and openness in the studios, more storage, better lighting and electrical service, and more flexibility for varied use of the studios. Most student schemes favored smaller and more mobile desks to enable greater flexibility for lounge and pin-up functions inside the studios.
Based on this event, and the feedback from the Board, the dean and faculty will continue discussions to set priorities and design parameters for renovations to begin this summer. Fundraising will continue into the spring to maximize the impact of the project.
Many students also reported that the event was a great success in terms of fostering dialogue and collaboration among all students.
Some of the student designs for the studios are shown below.
